Stop Being Clueless About Communication

Some clients are clueless – at least when it comes to communication. And there’s a good chance you’re one of them. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If you’re a small business owner or nonprofit manager or politician and you’ve got five minutes to spare, I can teach you what you need to know to make your communication efforts more effective.

It all starts with S-M-C-R, a straight-forward model that describes how information is distributed. This timeless model can be applied to all forms of communication, from emails to TV commercials. Learning it can help guide all your future communication decisions. Write it down. Remember it:

Source – The creator of the message.

Message – The actual content or idea for the communication.

Channel – The medium through which the message is being sent.

Receiver – The person or group who receives the message.

The next time you think about web content or direct mail copy you need to have written, run it through this model. You can start the process by writing the letters S-M-C-R across the top of a sheet of paper. Then jot down what you know about your project beneath each of the letters. “S” is typically the easiest place to start; you have a message, so that makes you the source.

Next, it’s important to take a step back and figure out what you want to accomplish with the communication piece you’re having created. Do you want to:

Create awareness?

Educate about a trend or issue?

Introduce a new product or service?

Announce an event or promotion?

Attract new customers?

There’s a good chance that you want your email, brochure, or news release to accomplish several things – and that’s OK. Just try to limit yourself to two intended outcomes and then prioritize them so you’re certain your messaging does what it’s supposed to do.

Settling on an intended outcome can be the toughest part of the process. It’s OK to take a day or two to think about this before you proceed with their project. If you don’t know what you’re hoping to achieve with their new communication piece, it’s impossible to produce something that’s effective. The important take-away here is that a single communication piece cannot communicate everything to everyone. Focus is key.

Once you know what you want to accomplish with your new communication piece, you can begin to think about the “R” or receiver. If you run a nail salon and want to reward loyal customers with a coupon, your “R” is your current customer base. If you run a nonprofit that’s offering afterschool tutoring for middle school students, your “R” is likely the parents of middle schoolers. If you run an insurance company and you need to justify your request for a rate increase, your message must be targeted toward government regulators. Identifying your primary receiver will ensure your communication stays focused.

Next up, it’s time to focus on the “M” or message. What do you need to tell the receiver? It’s not important for you to come up with a polished and complete message – that’s what you’ll hire a communications professional to do. You simple need to capsulize the message in a sentence or two so that you’re prepared to tell the writer exactly what you want.

The last step in this process is to be sure you’re using the best “C” or channel to get the message to the intended receiver. Think through the pros and cons of various channels, from free news releases and web copy to paid radio spots and social media. Be realistic. Having great web copy is important but, if your goal is to attract new customers, how likely is it that they’ll just happen upon your site? It’s possible to share the same messages with the same intended receivers via two or more channels. Be open to guidance from the communications professional with whom you’re working.

Does knowing about the S-C-M-R model make you a bonafide communications pro? No, but it does better equip you to ask the right questions and make the right decisions. And it’s a sure step toward making sure you won’t be “clueless” again.